The Puerto Rico-United States baseball drama just won’t quit. After Team USA’s victory in the World Baseball Classic final, certain American players commented that they were not happy with the preparations made by the boricuas to celebrate after the game. Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, especially, said that Puerto Rico’s plans “didn’t sit well with us, so we did what we had to do.”
Well, Team Rubio’s captain and press-appointed “heart” of the squad, Yadier Molina, is fed up with the gringos, and he’s firing back.
On Friday, the Cardinals catcher went off on Jones and the general American sentiment about how much fun Puerto Rico had in the tournament. “Adam Jones…is talking about things he doesn’t know about,” Molina told ESPN. “He really has to get informed because he shouldn’t have said those comments, let alone in public and mocking the way [preparations] were made.” He went on to demand that Jones apologize not just to the team, but to the entirety of Puerto Rico.
As if that wasn’t enough, Molina also took a shot at how the Americans celebrated the tournament win: “That’s why I’m sending a message to [Jones], saying, ‘Look at this, right now you’re in spring training working out, and we’re with our people, with our silver medals.’ You have no idea how to celebrate your honors, you don’t know what it means.”
This latest volley follows Detroit second baseman Ian Kinsler’s comments before the final that he hopes “kids watching the WBC can watch the way we play the game and appreciate the way we play the game as opposed to the way Puerto Rico plays or the Dominican plays”
In Kinsler’s loose defense, he did walk those comments back afterwards, saying that everybody’s culture should be respected. However, his comments, plus Jones’ and teammate Andrew McCutchen’s irritation after the final, sparked this post-tournament beef. It’s safe to say that Molina’s comments surely aren’t going to douse any flames, either.
With so much drama flying around, this MLB season might be the first to carry over the excitement of the WBC into the regular season. Play ball.